BEST LOCAL TALENT FINALIST - AOA

Your Name: Caolan Fitzsimons

Your Organisation/Company: AOA

Your favourite thing about West Belfast: There is a real sense of community in the entire town. Everyone looks out for each other and gives each other support throughout everything they are doing.

Your First Job: Bar Staff

What it taught you: It taught me the importance of team work and how it should be a core value for everyone, as with multiple people pulling in the same direction, more can be achieved than thought possible. I think West Belfast as a whole embodies this incredibly well.

What do you think are the key ingredients needed to make a person or organisation the Best of the West? I believe that a person / organisation needs to play a supportive role in their community and strive to use their platform to make a change and stand for what is right.

AOA are an Irish alt-rock band with a deep-rooted conviction to stand up for what they believe in. Drawing inspiration from bands like Green Day, blink-182, and Queens of the Stone Age, their songs reflect the struggles of working-class life, amplifying the voice of the common people with unrelenting conviction.